Irresponsible Gun Owner of the Day: Gitane Gun Girl’s Enabler

The best person to introduce someone to the joy of guns: a professional firearms instructor. They can teach the newbie gun safety from the git-go, as well as proper stance, grip and trigger control. (Remember: it takes a thousand rounds to reprogram a bad habit.) An instructor will equip the new shooter with proper eye and ear protection, if only to avoid nasty lawsuits. The pro will show the newbie how to handle recoil. And they’ll maintain proper distance from the shooter—both psychologically and physically. Because anyone showing anyone how to shoot anything should remain objective, hyper-vigilant and stand so, should stand so, should stand so close to them. Otherwise, there’s a chance the shooter will point a loaded gun at someone, as they did in this [sensibly removed] video.

Well I can’t call myself a professional, but I do make new shooters I take to the range wear eye and ear protection. I normally only give them 1 round at a time until they’re familiar with the basic safety rules……just to be sure. We normally go through: Keep the gun pointed away from any people and in a safe direction at all times (I watch them closely just to make sure). Keep your booger picker off the trigger until your gun is pointed down range and on the target. Shoot into the backdrop and no where else. I tend to Stand behind them and help form and posture for a while too (No sexy pun intended). And we normally don’t load the guns until they’re at the range facing the backdrop. There’s more but I’m kinda forgetful right now…………Stuff like what happened there ^ isn’t going to happen on my watch.

I’ve said it before, I’ll say it again: Most people wouldn’t allow their daughter to use a Skilsaw (or other bladed power tool) with so little training as we see in this video. Yet a gun is much more dangerous.

“The best person to introduce someone to the joy of guns: a professional firearms instructor. ”

Agreed, but it’s not the only one. Many folks who are afraid of guns or have no experience with them will not go to a pro instructor, they’d rather have a friend introduce them to it. What IS important is that their friend behave professionally and responsibly. Any new shooter I take to the range gets a good two hours or more of a safety brief and fundamentals of marksmanship. It makes the range visit a lot more fun if they feel they can actually hit something.

Guns can only hurt other people if wielded by criminals. Guns fired by young ladies who have no idea what they are doing are as harmless as the females in question normally are. It’s not like bullets and guns are dangerous in everyone’s hands if they point directly at you.

Oh wait, it is. Thinking that will get a .38 slug rammed right through that viewfinder into your laughing face, keep pushing your luck without pushing safety.